Swimming pools are known to collect various types of debris including leaves, insects, and various other floating debris. Skimmers are generally used to clean the swimming pool of floating debris. Skimmers are normally openings that are incorporated into the walls of the swimming pool and are connected by a hose to the swimming pool pump. In theory, wave action in the pool will push the floating debris towards the edge of the pool and into the skimmers where it is then sucked into a trap by the suction of the pool pump. This system is inefficient in that not all debris is effectively pushed into the skimmers. Further, fluctuations in water level can greatly affect the operation and efficiency of these skimmers.
In order to address the problems with skimmers incorporated into the walls of the pool, several types of pool skimmers have been developed. Static skimmers, manual skimmers and skimmers that float on the surface of the water are the most common. Several of the skimmers that float on the water require extra pipes, pumps and water jets for propulsion. Further, some of the floating skimmers contain collection containers that must be cleaned out regularly in order to effectuate efficient operation thus these skimmers cannot be used continuously.
In addition to surface skimmers, underwater “vacuums” have been developed to clean the bottom floor of the pool. However, no device has been developed that incorporates continuous total pool cleaning, both surface and underwater.
Surface skimmers are also used in larger bodies of water to remove debris from the body of water. For example, surface skimmers have been used to remove oil from the surface of oceans and lakes.